


FamILY Portrait

by IronWoman359



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Birthday Fluff, Fluff, Fluffyfest, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronWoman359/pseuds/IronWoman359
Summary: Janus’s birthday is fast approaching, and Virgil wants to make sure he gets a perfect gift.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 7
Kudos: 59





	FamILY Portrait

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RandomSlasher (Randomslasher)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Randomslasher/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Second Chance](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/760014) by @randomslasher. 



> This was written as a birthday present for the wonderful @randomslasher on tumblr and is in the same universe as their amazing fic Second Chance, definitely give that fic a read, it will melt your heart! (and provide some context for this one)

Virgil let out a sigh of frustration and exited out of yet another unhelpful listicle, then snapped his laptop shut and leaned back in his chair, staring up at his bedroom ceiling. Why did this have to be so hard? He ran a hand through his hair, and glanced over at the calendar on his wall. The date circled there in purple sharpie seemed to mock him now, taunting him as it grew ever closer. 

Three more days until Janus’s birthday, and Virgil still didn’t have a present for him. 

Janus had said more than once that Virgil didn’t need to get him anything. He didn’t seem particularly big on celebrating his birthday at all, which Virgil could relate to. Janus had grown up in the foster system, same as Virgil himself, and had possibly come to feel the same way about birthdays as Virgil had. Just a reminder that one more year had passed with no one wanting to adopt him, one more year closer to aging out and having to figure everything out on his own. But then Patton had come into his life, into _both_ their lives, and Patton couldn’t abide by not celebrating the people he loved most in the world. So Janus was going to get a birthday party, and Virgil was determined to get him something.

He just couldn’t _think_ of anything. He’d tried every “What Gifts to Get Your Father” and “Top Five Gifts Every Dad Will Love” blog, article, and list out there, but they all rang hollow in Virgil’s mind. Ties and tools seemed too cliche, too _ordinary_ , and even the few lists that Virgil managed to find that _weren’t_ depressingly heteronormative just...didn’t feel like Janus to him. Which was a weird feeling, because he still didn’t know Janus all that well. They had gotten closer in the past few months, but that didn’t mean that Virgil knew what to get him for his _birthday_. 

He’d considered asking Patton for help. His dad knew Janus better than anyone, after all, and would probably be absolutely thrilled that Virgil wanted his help in picking something. But for some reason, Virgil didn’t want Patton to show him what to get. Because then it would just be another gift from Patton, and Virgil wanted the gift to be from _himself_. He wanted, as sappy as it was, for it to _mean_ something, that it was from him. 

Virgil sighed again. 

This wouldn’t be so difficult if it wasn’t Janus’s birthday. If it was Patton’s, Virgil would have no problem getting one of those dinky “world’s best dad” mugs or t-shirts and pairing it with a heartfelt card with a few puns thrown in. They were cheesy, sure, but Patton _loved_ that kind of stuff, and as far as Virgil was concerned it wasn’t just an empty platitude. Patton really was the best dad he could have possibly asked for, and while he’d never admit it, Virgil liked to see those little reminders of their family just as much as Patton did. 

But Janus...it wasn’t that he didn’t think Janus wouldn’t _like_ that sort of gift. If Virgil set aside his anxiety for a minute, he was sure that Janus would like _anything_ that Virgil came up with, by virtue of Virgil being the one to give it to him at all. Which was another reason he hadn’t asked his dad for help...Virgil was pretty sure that’s exactly what Patton would tell him, and that didn’t actually help him decide _what to get._

And Virgil...he wanted to get Janus something really nice. He hadn’t been quite sure what to make of Janus in the beginning, but Janus had helped him a _lot_ , just as much as Patton had, in his own way, and Virgil didn’t just see him as his dad’s fiance anymore. Janus was just as much his dad now as Patton was, and Virgil wanted to somehow show just how much that meant to him. 

The problem was, it was a feeling that no gift seemed to be able to capture. 

Virgil huffed, and opened up his laptop again. Why did no one tell him that having a family would be this stressful? 

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he froze, a memory slamming into him without warning. 

_“You were never adopted?” he whispered._

_“No,” Janus agreed. “I wasn’t.”_

_“You never got a family?”_

_“I didn’t say that.”_

Virgil pulled open his desk drawer and stared down at his small collection of art supplies. Several of the blog posts he’d read had mentioned homemade presents, but he’d immediately dismissed that idea. He wasn’t any good at crafts or anything, just traditional artwork. But drawing your parents a picture was something that little kids did, and the thought of presenting Janus with something so childish had seemed... _wrong_ when he first considered it. But Virgil had never gotten the chance to draw any parents a picture when he _was_ a little kid...and neither had Janus. That privilege was one more thing that growing up in the system had taken from them, and suddenly the idea of doing something a bit more juvenile wasn’t so unthinkable. 

Virgil took a deep breath, pulled out his sketchpad and pencils, and got to work. 

* * *

On the morning of Janus’s birthday, Virgil woke up to the smell of french toast and sausage wafting up from the kitchen. Janus had insisted over and over that he didn’t want to do anything extravagant for his birthday, and so the three of them were going to spend the day together at home, but Virgil knew that Patton would still insist on making the entire day all about his fiance, starting with a breakfast that consisted of Janus’s favorites. Lunch would consist of a meat and cheese platter ordered from Janus’s favorite deli, and that evening Patton was planning on grilling steaks. 

Virgil took a deep breath, then grabbed a manilla envelope off his desk. After agonizing for three days on making sure his drawing was perfect, he’d not been able to come up with anything more creative in the way of wrapping paper, but he hoped that Janus wouldn’t mind. Swallowing his nerves, he tucked the small offering under his arm and headed out of his room and down the stairs.

“Morning, kiddo!” Patton said brightly when Virgil entered the kitchen. “Want some coffee?”

Virgil nodded, sitting down at the table and tucking the envelope out of sight under his placemat. A moment later Patton placed a steaming mug down in front of him, and Virgil accepted it gratefully. 

For a few moments, it was quiet, save for Patton's gentle humming as he flipped the french toast and made sure the sausage wasn't burning, then the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs made Virgil freeze. 

"Good morning, honey!" Patton chirped happily, moving the frying pan off the stove and stepping forward to greet Janus with a kiss. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Patton," Janus said after they broke apart. "Breakfast smells wonderful." 

"French toast and scrambled eggs with spiced sausage, your favorite!" Patton said, presenting him with a cup of coffee. 

"You spoil me, my dear," Janus said as he sat at the table, a slight blush tinging his cheeks. 

"It's your birthday; I'm legally required to spoil my boys on their birthdays," Patton said, winking at Virgil. 

Virgil grinned back, his nerves momentarily forgotten as he watched Patton plant a kiss on top of Janus's head before turning his attention back to breakfast. He knew some kids didn't like to watch their parents get all lovey-dovey with each other, but his dads were just so cute together that Virgil didn't mind (Not that he'd ever let them know that, of course, it was still embarrassing to tell your parents you thought they were cute).

"Good morning, Virgil," Janus said, pulling Virgil from his thoughts. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes!" Virgil said, probably a little too frantically, because Janus raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Second chance?" he offered, but Virgil shook his head. 

"No really, I slept fine. I just, um..." Virgil took a deep breath, then pulled the envelope out from under his placemat. "I...have something for you. For your birthday." 

He pushed the envelope towards Janus, and resisted the urge to stick his thumbnail in his mouth and chew on it. 

Janus looked surprised, but he took the envelope and smiled warmly at Virgil. "Thank you so much, Virgil, I appreciate that." 

He opened the envelope and slid the drawing out, still smiling, then he froze as he looked down at the page.

“Virgil,” he said, slow and careful, and Virgil's heart thundered in his chest. 

Oh god, was something wrong? Had he fucked up and upset Janus somehow? Should he have just gone with a cheesy tie after all?

"Virgil, did you _draw_ this?" Janus finished, looking up at him with wide eyes, and Virgil bit his lip and nodded. 

“Yeah, I...I hope it’s okay.”

“May I see?” Patton asked, and Virgil nodded mutely. Janus held up the drawing, and Patton gasped. “Oh, _Kiddo_ , that’s _beautiful!”_

It was a portrait of the three of them, painstakingly hand-drawn in as realistic a style as Virgil could manage. Janus and Patton were arm in arm, and wrapped in a hug between them was Virgil himself. He had an arm around each of his parents, his eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face while Janus and Patton looked down at him lovingly. Written in careful cursive underneath was a caption that read “ _The Sanders Family - est. 2020._ ”

“Yeah, I, uh...I thought it would be nice to, you know. Have a family portrait,” Virgil said, glancing up at Janus nervously. 

Janus was smiling, soft with a hint of sadness at the edges, and when he caught Virgil’s gaze he opened his arms in invitation. Virgil leaned into them wordlessly, burying his face in Janus’s chest and wrapping his arms around him, squeezing tight and trying to communicate everything he wanted to say but couldn’t bring himself to speak aloud. 

“It’s perfect, buddy,” Janus murmured, dropping a kiss into Virgil’s hair, and Virgil knew he’d understood. “Thank you.” 

Virgil nodded, sniffing slightly, then there was a familiar * _click_ * and he groaned.

“Daaad!” he protested, leaning back just in time to see Patton lower his cellphone with a sheepish grin. 

“What?” he asked innocently, and Virgil raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “French toast time!” Patton said brightly, dropping his phone into his pocket and whirling around to grab the food. 

“My tough guy image, destroyed forever,” Virgil deadpanned, and Janus chuckled. 

“Patton brings out the softie in all of us,” he pointed out. “I think your reputation will survive.”

“First serving goes to the birthday boy!” Patton said cheerfully, setting down a plate in front of Janus, and it was Janus’s turn to roll his eyes. 

“Whatever you say, Patton dear.” 

“You know it,” Patton said, winking before he turned to grab breakfast for Virgil and himself. 

“Love you, Dad,” Virgil said quietly while Patton was busy with the plates. “Happy Birthday.” 

Janus took his hand and squeezed it, smiling softly. 

“I love you too, Virgil,” he whispered back. “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If you want to follow me on tumblr, I'm @ironwoman359, thanks so much for reading!


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